1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mechanical inertial igniters, and more particularly to compact and low-volume mechanical inertial igniters for thermal batteries and the like that do not initiate if dropped from relatively high-heights that result in very high impact shocks relative to the firing impact shock (setback acceleration) but which are short in duration relative to the duration of the firing setback acceleration.
2. Prior Art
Thermal batteries represent a class of reserve batteries that operate at high temperature. Unlike liquid reserve batteries, in thermal batteries the electrolyte is already in the cells and therefore does not require a distribution mechanism such as spinning. The electrolyte is dry, solid and non-conductive, thereby leaving the battery in a non-operational and inert condition. These batteries incorporate pyrotechnic heat sources to melt the electrolyte just prior to use in order to make them electrically conductive and thereby making the battery active. The most common internal pyrotechnic is a blend of Fe and KClO4. Thermal batteries utilize a molten salt to serve as the electrolyte upon activation. The electrolytes are usually mixtures of alkali-halide salts and are used with the Li(Si)/FeS2 or Li(Si)/CoS2 couples. Some batteries also employ anodes of Li(Al) in place of the Li(Si) anodes. Insulation and internal heat sinks are used to maintain the electrolyte in its molten and conductive condition during the time of use. Reserve batteries are inactive and inert when manufactured and become active and begin to produce power only when they are activated.
Thermal batteries have long been used in munitions and other similar applications to provide a relatively large amount of power during a relatively short period of time, mainly during the munitions flight. Thermal batteries have high power density and can provide a large amount of power as long as the electrolyte of the thermal battery stays liquid, thereby conductive. The process of manufacturing thermal batteries is highly labor intensive and requires relatively expensive facilities. Fabrication usually involves costly batch processes, including pressing electrodes and electrolytes into rigid wafers, and assembling batteries by hand. The batteries are encased in a hermetically-sealed metal container that is usually cylindrical in shape. Thermal batteries, however, have the advantage of very long shelf life of up to 20 years that is required for munitions applications.
Thermal batteries generally use some type of igniter to provide a controlled pyrotechnic reaction to produce output gas, flame or hot particles to ignite the heating elements of the thermal battery. There are currently two distinct classes of igniters that are available for use in thermal batteries. The first class of igniter operates based on electrical energy. Such electrical igniters (initiators), however, require electrical energy, thereby requiring an onboard battery or other power sources with related shelf life and/or complexity and volume requirements to operate and initiate the thermal battery. The second class of igniters, commonly called “inertial igniters”, operates based on the firing acceleration. The inertial igniters do not require onboard batteries for their operation and are thereby often used in high-G munitions applications such as in gun-fired munitions and mortars.
In general, the inertial igniters, particularly those that are designed to initiate at impact levels that are lower than those that result from accidental drops or nearby explosions, have to be provided with the means for distinguishing such accidental events from the firing acceleration levels. This means that safety in terms of prevention of accidental ignition is one of the main concerns in inertial igniters.
In general, electrical igniters use some type of sensors and electronics decision making circuitry to perform the aforementioned even detection tasks. Electrical igniters, however, required external electrical power sources for their operation. And considering the fact that thermal batteries (reserve batteries) are generally used in munitions to avoid the use of active batteries with their operational and shelf life limitations, and the aforementioned need for additional sensory and decision making electronics, electrical igniters are not the preferred means of activating thermal batteries and the like, particularly in gun-fired munitions, mortars and the like.
Currently available technology (U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,437,995; 7,587,979; and 7,587,980; U.S. Application Publication No. 2009/0013891 and U.S. application Ser. Nos. 61/239,048; 12/079,164; 12/234,698; 12/623,442; 12/774,324; and 12/794,763 the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference) has provided solution to the requirement of differentiating accidental drops during assembly, transportation and the like (generally for drops from up to 7 feet over concrete floors that can result in impact deceleration levels of up to 2000 G over up to 0.5 milli-seconds). The available technology differentiates the above accidental and initiation (all-fire) events by both the resulting impact induced inertial igniter (essentially the inertial igniter structure) deceleration and its duration with the firing (setback) acceleration level that is experienced by the inertial igniter and its duration, thereby allowing initiation of the inertial igniter only when the initiation (all-fire) setback acceleration level as well as its designed duration (which in gun-fired munitions of interest such as artillery rounds or mortars or the like is significantly longer than drop impact duration) are reached. This mode of differentiating the “combined” effects of accidental drop induced deceleration and all-fire initiation acceleration levels as well as their time durations (both of which would similarly tend to affect the start of the process of initiation by releasing a striker mass that upon impact with certain pyrotechnic material(s) or the like would start the ignition process) is possible since the aforementioned up to 2000 G impact deceleration level is applied over only 0.5 milli-seconds (msec), while the (even lower level) firing (setback) acceleration (generally not much lower than 900 G) is applied over significantly longer durations (generally over at least 8-10 msec).
The safety mechanisms disclosed in the above referenced patents and patent applications can be thought of as a mechanical delay mechanism, after which a separate initiation system is actuated or released to provide ignition of the device pyrotechnics. Such inertia-based igniters therefore comprise of two components so that together they provide the aforementioned mechanical safety (delay mechanism) and to provide the required striking action to achieve ignition of the pyrotechnic elements. The function of the safety system is to hold the striker in position until a specified acceleration time profile actuates the safety system and releases the striker, allowing it to accelerate toward its target under the influence of the remaining portion of the specified acceleration time profile. The ignition itself may take place as a result of striker impact, or simply contact or proximity. For example, the striker may be akin to a firing pin and the target akin to a standard percussion cap primer. Alternately, the striker-target pair may bring together one or more chemical compounds whose combination with or without impact will set off a reaction resulting in the desired ignition.
Inertial igniters that are used in munitions that are loaded into ships by cranes for transportation are highly desirable to satisfy another no-fire requirement arising from accidental dropping of the munitions from heights reached during ship loading. This requirement generally demands no-fire (no initiation) due to drops from up to 40 feet that can result in impact induced deceleration levels (of the inertial igniter structure) of up to 18,000 Gs acting over up to 1 msec time intervals. Currently, inertial igniters that can satisfy this no-fire requirement when the all-fire (setback) acceleration levels are relatively low (for example, as low as around 900 G and up to around 3000 Gs) are not available. In addition, the currently known methods of constructing inertial igniters for satisfying 7 feet drop safety (resulting in up to 2,000 Gs of impact induced deceleration levels for up to 0.5 msec impulse) requirement cannot be used to achieve safety (no-initiation) for very high impact induced decelerations resulting from high-height drops of up to 40 feet (up to 18,000 Gs of impact induced decelerations lasting up to 1 msec). This is the case for several reasons. Firstly, impacts following drops occur at significantly higher impact speeds for drops from higher heights. For example, considering free drops and for the sake of simplicity assuming that no drag to be acting on the object, impact velocities for a drop from a height of 40 feet is approximately 15.4 msec as compared to a drop from a height of 7 feet is approximately 6.4 msec, or about 2.3 times higher for 40 feet drops). Secondly, the 7 feet drops over concrete floor lasts only up to 0.5 seconds, whereas 40 feet drop induced inertial igniter deceleration levels of up to 18,000 Gs can have durations of up to 1 msec. As a result, as it is shown later in this disclosure the distance travelled by the inertial igniter striker mass releasing element is so much higher for the aforementioned 40 feet drops as compared to 7 feet drops that it has made the development of inertial igniters that are safe (no-initiation occurring) as a result of such 40 feet drops impractical.
A schematic of a cross-section of a conventional thermal battery and inertial igniter assembly is shown in FIG. 1. In thermal battery applications, the inertial igniter 10 (as assembled in a housing) is generally positioned above the thermal battery housing 11 as shown in FIG. 1. Upon ignition, the igniter initiates the thermal battery pyrotechnics positioned inside the thermal battery through a provided access 12. The total volume that the thermal battery assembly 16 occupies within munitions is determined by the diameter 17 of the thermal battery housing 11 (assuming it is cylindrical) and the total height 15 of the thermal battery assembly 16. The height 14 of the thermal battery for a given battery diameter 17 is generally determined by the amount of energy that it has to produce over the required period of time. For a given thermal battery height 14, the height 13 of the inertial igniter 10 would therefore determine the total height 15 of the thermal battery assembly 16. To reduce the total volume that the thermal battery assembly 16 occupies within a munitions housing, it is therefore important to reduce the height of the inertial igniter 10. This is particularly important for small thermal batteries since in such cases the inertial igniter height with currently available inertial igniters can be almost the same order of magnitude as the thermal battery height.
A design of an inertial igniter for satisfying the safety (no initiation) requirement when dropped from heights of up to 7 feet (up to 2,000 G impact deceleration with a duration of up to 0.5 msec) is described below using one such embodiment disclosed in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 12/835,709, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. An isometric cross-sectional view of this embodiment 200 of the inertia igniter is shown in FIG. 2. The full isometric view of the inertial igniter 200 is shown in FIG. 3. The inertial igniter 200 is constructed with igniter body 201, consisting of a base 202 and at least three posts 203. The base 202 and the at least three posts 203, can be integral but may be constructed as separate pieces and joined together, for example by welding or press fitting or other methods commonly used in the art. The base of the housing 202 is also provided with at least one opening 204 (with an corresponding openings in the thermal battery—not shown) to allow the ignited sparks and fire to exit the inertial igniter into the thermal battery positioned under the inertial igniter 200 upon initiation of the inertial igniter pyrotechnics 204, FIG. 2, or percussion cap primer when used in place of the pyrotechnics as disclosed therein.
A striker mass 205 is shown in its locked position in FIG. 2. The striker mass 205 is provided with vertical surfaces 206 that are used to engage the corresponding (inner) surfaces of the posts 203 and serve as guides to allow the striker mass 205 to ride down along the length of the posts 203 without rotation with an essentially pure up and down translational motion. The vertical surfaces 206 may be recessed to engage the inner three surfaces of the properly shaped posts 203.
In its illustrated position in FIGS. 2 and 3, the striker mass 205 is locked in its axial position to the posts 203 by at least one setback locking ball 207. The setback locking ball 207 locks the striker mass 205 to the posts 203 of the inertial igniter body 201 through the holes 208 provided in the posts 203 and a concave portion such as a dimple (or groove) 209 on the striker mass 205 as shown in FIG. 2. A setback spring 210, which is preferably in compression, is also provided around but close to the posts 203 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the locking balls 207 are prevented from moving away from their aforementioned locking position by the collar 211. The collar 211 can be provided with partial guide 212 (“pocket”), which are open on the top as indicated by numeral 213. The guides 213 may be provided only at the locations of the locking balls 207 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, or may be provided as an internal surface over the entire inner surface of the collar 211 (not shown). The advantage of providing local guides 212 is that it would result in a significantly larger surface contact between the collar 211 and the outer surfaces of the posts 203, thereby allowing for smoother movement of the collar 211 up and down along the length of the posts 203. In addition, they would prevent the collar 211 from rotating relative to the inertial igniter body 201 and makes the collar stronger and more massive. The advantage of providing a continuous inner recess guiding surface for the locking balls 207 is that it would require fewer machining processes during the collar manufacture.
The collar 211 can ride up and down the posts 203 as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, but is biased to stay in its upper most position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 by the setback spring 210. The guides 212 are provided with bottom ends 214, so that when the inertial igniter is assembled as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the setback spring 210 which is biased (preloaded) to push the collar 211 upward away from the igniter base 201, would hold the collar 211 in its uppermost position against the locking balls 207. As a result, the assembled inertial igniter 200 stays in its assembled state and would not require a top cap to prevent the collar 211 from being pushed up and allowing the locking balls 207 from moving out and releasing the striker mass 205.
In this embodiment, a one part pyrotechnics compound 215 (such as lead styphnate or some other similar compounds) is used as shown in FIG. 2. The surfaces to which the pyrotechnic compound 215 is attached can be roughened and/or provided with surface cuts, recesses, or the like and/or treated chemically as commonly done in the art (not shown) to ensure secure attachment of the pyrotechnics material to the applied surfaces. The use of one part pyrotechnics compound makes the manufacturing and assembly process much simpler and thereby leads to lower inertial igniter cost. The striker mass is preferably provided with a relatively sharp tip 216 and the igniter base surface 202 is provided with a protruding tip 217 which is covered with the pyrotechnics compound 215, such that as the striker mass is released during an all-fire event and is accelerated down, impact occurs mostly between the surfaces of the tips 216 and 217, thereby pinching the pyrotechnics compound 215, thereby providing the means to obtain a reliable initiation of the pyrotechnics compound 215.
Alternatively, a two-part pyrotechnics compound, e.g., potassium chlorate and red phosphorous, may be used. When using such a two-part pyrotechnics compound, the first part, in this case the potassium chlorate, can be provided on the interior side of the base in a provided recess, and the second part of the pyrotechnics compound, in this case the red phosphorous, is provided on the lower surface of the striker mass surface facing the first part of the pyrotechnics compound. In general, various combinations of pyrotechnic materials may be used for this purpose with an appropriate binder to firmly adhere the materials to the inertial igniter (e.g., metal) surfaces.
Alternatively, instead of using the pyrotechnics compound 215, FIG. 2, a percussion cap primer can be used. An appropriately shaped striker tip can be provided at the tip 216 of the striker mass 205 (not shown) to facilitate initiation upon impact.
The basic operation of the embodiment 200 of the inertial igniter of FIGS. 2 and 3 is now described. In case of any non-trivial acceleration in the axial direction 218 which can cause the collar 211 to overcome the resisting force of the setback spring 210 will initiate and sustain some downward motion of the collar 211. The force due to the acceleration on the striker mass 205 is supported at the dimples 209 by the locking balls 207 which are constrained inside the holes 208 in the posts 203. If the acceleration is applied over long enough time in the axial direction 218, the collar 211 will translate down along the axis of the assembly until the setback locking balls 205 are no longer constrained to engage the striker mass 205 to the posts 203. If the event acceleration and its time duration is not sufficient to provide this motion (i.e., if the acceleration level and its duration are less than the predetermined threshold), the collar 211 will return to its start (top) position under the force of the setback spring 210 once the event has ceased.
Assuming that the acceleration time profile was at or above the specified “all-fire” profile, the collar 211 will have translated down past the locking balls 207, allowing the striker mass 205 to accelerate down towards the base 202. In such a situation, since the locking balls 207 are no longer constrained by the collar 211, the downward force that the striker mass 205 has been exerting on the locking balls 207 will force the locking balls 207 to move outward in the radial direction. Once the locking balls 207 are out of the way of the dimples 209, the downward motion of the striker mass 205 is no longer impeded. As a result, the striker mass 205 accelerates downward, causing the tip 216 of the striker mass 205 to strike the pyrotechnic compound 215 on the surface of the protrusion 217 with the requisite energy to initiate ignition.
In the embodiment 200 of the inertial igniter shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the setback spring 210 is of a helical wave spring type fabricated with rectangular cross-sectional wires (such as the ones manufactured by Smalley Steel Ring Company of Lake Zurich, Ill.). This is in contrast with the helical springs with circular wire cross-sections used in other available inertial igniters. The use of the aforementioned rectangular cross-section wave springs or the like has the following significant advantages over helical springs that are constructed with wires with circular cross-sections. Firstly and most importantly, as the spring is compressed and nears its “solid” length, the flat surfaces of the rectangular cross-section wires come in contact, thereby generating minimal lateral forces that would otherwise tend to force one coil to move laterally relative to the other coils as is usually the case when the wires are circular in cross-section. Lateral movement of the coils can, in general, interfere with the proper operation of the inertial igniter since it could, for example, jam a coil to the outer housing of the inertial igniter (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3), which is usually desired to house the igniter 200 or the like with minimal clearance to minimize the total volume of the inertial igniter. In addition, the laterally moving coils could also jam against the posts 203 thereby further interfering with the proper operation of the inertial igniter. The use of the wave springs with rectangular cross-section would therefore significantly increase the reliability of the inertial igniter and also significantly increase the repeatability of the initiation for a specified all-fire condition. The second advantage of the use of the aforementioned wave springs with rectangular cross-section, particularly since the wires can and are usually made thin in thickness and relatively wide, is that the solid length of the resulting wave spring can be made to be significantly less than an equivalent regular helical spring with circular cross-section. As a result, the total height of the resulting inertial igniter can be reduced. Thirdly, since the coil waves are in contact with each other at certain points along their lengths and as the spring is compressed, the length of each wave is slightly increased, therefore during the spring compression the friction forces at these contact points do certain amount of work and thereby absorb certain amount of energy. The presence of this friction force ensures that the firing acceleration and very rapid compression of the spring would to a lesser amount tend to “bounce” the collar 211 back up and thereby increasing the possibility that it would interfere with the exit of the locking balls from the dimples 209 of the striker mass 205 and the release of the striker mass 205. The above characteristic of the wave springs with rectangular cross-section should therefore also significantly enhance the performance and reliability of the inertial igniter 200 while at the same time allowing its height (and total volume) to be reduced.
The striker mass 205 and striker tip 216 may be a monolithic design with the striking tip 216 being machined as shown in FIG. 2 or as a boss protruding from the striker mass, or the striker tip 216 may be a separate piece, possibly fabricated from a material that is significantly harder than the striker mass material, and pressed or otherwise permanently fixed to the striker mass. A two-piece design would be favorable to the need for a striker whose density is different than steel, but whose tip would remain hard and tough by attaching a steel ball, hemisphere, or other shape to the striker mass. A monolithic design, however, would be generally favorable to manufacturing because of the reduction of part quantity and assembly operations.
In the embodiment 200 of FIGS. 2 and 3, following ignition of the pyrotechnics compound 215, the generated flames and sparks are designed to exit downward through the opening 204 to initiate the thermal battery below. Alternatively, if the thermal battery is positioned above the inertial igniter 200, the opening 204 can be eliminated and the striker mass could be provided with at least one opening (not shown) to guide the ignition flame and sparks up through the striker mass 205 to allow the pyrotechnic materials (or the like) of a thermal battery (or the like) positioned above the inertial igniter 200 (not shown) to be initiated.
Alternatively, side ports may be provided to allow the flame to exit from the side of the igniter to initiate the pyrotechnic materials (or the like) of a thermal battery or the like that is positioned around the body of the inertial igniter. Other alternatives known in the art may also be used.
In FIGS. 2 and 3, the inertial igniter embodiment 200 is shown without any outside housing. In many applications, as shown in the schematics of FIG. 4a (4b), the inertial igniter 240 (250) is placed securely inside the thermal battery 241 (251), either on the top (FIG. 4a) or bottom (FIG. 4b) of the thermal battery housing 242 (252). This is particularly the case for relatively small thermal batteries. In such thermal battery configurations, since the inertial igniter 240 (250) is inside the hermetically sealed thermal battery 241 (251), there is no need for a separate housing to be provided for the inertial igniter itself. In this assembly configuration, the thermal battery housing 242 (252) is provided with a separate compartment 243 (253) for the inertial igniter. The inertial igniter compartment 243 (253) is preferably formed by a member 244 (254) which is fixed to the inner surface of the thermal battery housing 242 (253), preferably by welding, brazing or very strong adhesives or the like. The separating member 244 (254) is provided with an opening 245 (255) to allow the generated flame and sparks following the initiation of the inertial igniter 240 (250) to enter the thermal battery compartment 246 (256) to activate the thermal battery 241 (251). The separating member 244 (254) and its attachment to the internal surface of the thermal battery housing 242 (252) must be strong enough to withstand the forces generated by the firing acceleration.
For larger thermal batteries, a separate compartment (similar to the compartment 10 over or possibly under the thermal battery hosing 11 as shown in FIG. 1) can be provided above, inside or under the thermal battery housing for the inertial igniter. An appropriate opening (similar to the opening 12 in FIG. 1) can also be provided to allow the flame and sparks generated as a result of inertial igniter initiation to enter the thermal battery compartment (similar to the compartment 14 in FIG. 1) and activate the thermal battery.
The inertial igniter 200, FIGS. 2 and 3 may also be provided with a housing 260 as shown in FIG. 5. The housing 260 can be one piece and fixed to the base 202 of the inertial igniter structure 201, such as by soldering, laser welding or appropriate epoxy adhesive or any other of the commonly used techniques to achieve a sealed compartment. The housing 260 may also be crimped to the base 202 at its open end 261, in which case the base 202 can be provided with an appropriate recess 262 to receive the crimped portion 261 of the housing 260. The housing can be sealed at or near the crimped region via one of the commonly used techniques such as those described above.
It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that by varying the mass of the striker 205, the mass of the collar 211, the spring rate of the setback spring 210, the distance that the collar 211 has to travel downward to release the locking balls 207 and thereby release the striker mass 205, and the distance between the tip 216 of the striker mass 205 and the pyrotechnic compound 215 (and the tip of the protrusion 217), the designer of the disclosed inertial igniter 200 can try to match the all-fire and no-fire impulse level requirements for various applications as well as the safety (delay or dwell action) protection against accidental dropping of the inertial igniter and/or the munitions or the like within which it is assembled.
Briefly, the safety system parameters, i.e., the mass of the collar 211, the spring rate of the setback spring 210 and the dwell stroke (the distance that the collar 210 has to travel downward to release the locking balls 207 and thereby release the striker mass 205) must be tuned to provide the required actuation performance characteristics. Similarly, to provide the requisite impact energy, the mass of the striker 205 and the aforementioned separation distance between the tip 216 of the striker mass and the pyrotechnic compound 215 (and the tip of the protrusion 217) must work together to provide the specified impact energy to initiate the pyrotechnic compound when subjected to the remaining portion of the prescribed initiation acceleration profile after the safety system has been actuated.
However, as it was previously shown, when the firing (setback) acceleration is relatively low (for example, in the range of 900-3000 Gs—usually lasting around 8-15 msec), the currently available methods cannot be used to design inertial igniters that are safe (i.e., do not initiate) when dropped from heights of up to 40 feet (which can generate inertial igniter impact deceleration levels of up to 18,000 Gs with durations of up to 1 msec). As a result, mechanical inertial igniters that can satisfy this safety (no initiation) requirement when the all-fire (setback) acceleration levels are relatively low have not been available.
This was shown above to be case since for drops from high-heights of the order of 40 feet that result in impact induced inertial igniter deceleration levels of up to 18,000 Gs with durations of up to 1 msec, due to the high velocity of the inertial igniter and its various elements (including the collar 211, FIG. 2) at the time of impact and the long duration of the impact induced inertial igniter deceleration, the amount of downward travel of the collar 211 (FIG. 2) relative to the inertial igniter body (element 203) will become so long that makes such inertial igniters impractical for munitions applications. This is particularly the case for inertial igniters used in munitions with relatively low all-fire (setback) acceleration levels, since the compressive preload in the striker spring 210 (FIG. 2) needs to be low (since the dynamic force resulting by the firing acceleration acting on the inertia of the collar 211 must be significantly less than the compressive preloading level of the striker spring 210 to allow the release of the striker mass 205 when all-fire acceleration level is reached and thereby cause igniter initiation), thereby the fast downward translation of the collar 211 relative to the inertial igniter body 203 is minimally impeded by the upward force generated by the striker spring 210.
Thus, it is shown that it is not possible to use the methods used in the design of currently available inertial igniters to provide no-fire safety for accidental drops from height of up to 7 feet (such as those described in the aforementioned patents and patent applications) to design inertial igniters that provide no-fire safety for the aforementioned drops from heights of up to 40 feet.
In addition, in recent years, new and improved chemistries and manufacturing processes have been developed that promise the development of lower cost and higher performance thermal batteries that could be produced in various shapes and sizes, including their small and miniaturized versions. Thus, it is important that the developed inertial igniters be relatively small and suitable for small and low power thermal batteries, particularly those that are being developed for use in miniaturized fuzing, future smart munitions, and other similar applications.